Even though Team Rocket had lost tonight's battle, he, Lucas had not lost.
Yes. That was how he chose to see it.
"The day will come sooner or later when Team Rocket and the Indigo League must face each other in a final, all-out battle," Lucas spoke slowly, his tone deceptively gentle, yet his crimson eyes shone with cold determination. His lips curved upward into a smile, though it carried a faint edge of mockery.
"And when that time arrives, cousin… I will personally crush your so-called dragon legion into dust, until there is nothing left but broken scales and shattered pride."
The corners of his mouth lifted higher, almost into a grin, his expression calm but sharp as a blade.
For him, this encounter was not a defeat. It was only a valuable test—a glimpse into Lance's true power. And the next time they stood opposite of each other, he would be ready. The next time… he would destroy him completely.
"Bye Bye Cousin~"
With a surge of fierce wind that tore through the rain-soaked night, Reshiram's majestic white body rose high into the storm. In the blink of an eye, the legendary dragon disappeared beyond the veil of thunder and sheets of rain, leaving only the roar of its wings behind.
Lance stood unmoving, his piercing gaze locked upon that fading, white silhouette vanishing into the storm. His hands, without him even noticing, had clenched so tightly that the knuckles turned bone white.
This was the first time.
The very first time… he had ever lost since rising to fame.
And not just to anyone—he had been defeated by someone of his own blood. By his cousin.
He did not want to admit it, but denial was meaningless. His ace, his most trusted partner Dragonite, had fallen. Defeated. No matter how he tried to excuse it, the truth was undeniable: this was a loss.
"…Lucas…"
The name escaped his lips in a low, hoarse whisper, forced from his throat as if the very act of speaking it weighed him down. His chest rose and fell violently, emotions surging within him like stormy waves.
"The final battle, is it?" he muttered, his voice gradually hardening. "I will defeat you. No matter what, I will defeat you. That is a promise!"
After a long silence, the turmoil in his heart began to calm. The storm within his chest quieted, replaced by a steely, resolute calmness. His handsome, proud face, which only moments before had twisted with humiliation, once again became composed and unreadable.
The wings of Aerodactyl beat steadily as it descended from the skies, carrying him down onto the ruined battlefield. Lance stepped off onto the shattered ground, his boots crunching against broken stone, and he knelt beside his two battered Dragonair.
From his palms, a gentle green light began to glow, suffused with vitality. It was the Viridian Power—the healing force of life itself.
"Lance…?"
Nearby, Lorelei narrowed her eyes, watching him with suspicion. His aura, cold and impenetrable, unsettled her. She could hardly believe what she was seeing.
Those Dragonairs bore terrible burns across their scales. That could only mean one thing: they had been beaten back by that blazing white dragon.
Lance… had actually lost? Lost to a Team Rocket executive?
Lorelei pressed her lips tightly together, unable to hide her shock. In her mind, Lance was the very embodiment of invincibility. The strongest weapon of the Indigo League, its unshakable champion—perhaps even the greatest trainer in the entire world. She had once thought no one alive could defeat him.
And yet tonight… reality had shattered that belief.
Bruno, arms crossed and silent, cast a glance toward the darkened horizon where Lucas and Reshiram had vanished. Then, shifting his gaze back to Lance, the faintest grin tugged at his lips.
"How is the situation with Team Rocket?" Lance asked suddenly, his voice clipped, his face betraying nothing of what had transpired.
"Most of the key executives have already been located and subdued," Lorelei answered steadily. "The remaining Rocket grunts are still being hunted down across the city."
Lance nodded once, curtly. "Arrest them as quickly as possible. I will return to the League headquarters first."
With nothing more than those words, he recalled his two wounded Dragonair into their Poké Balls, mounted his Aerodactyl once again, and rose swiftly into the skies, wings carrying him toward the horizon.
He could no longer wait. He had to return. He had to search—search for the legendary dragons spoken of in ancient texts.
Lorelei frowned deeply, watching him vanish into the distance. She did not know what Lance was thinking, but she had long since learned: once he made a decision, no one could sway him. She quickly suppressed her doubts, returning to her duties. She pulled out her communicator and called Officer Jenny, reporting the situation.
The Gym Leader of Celadon, Erika, was still nowhere to be seen. No doubt she remained trapped beneath the underground floors of the Game Corner.
Meanwhile, far outside Celadon City, in a secluded clearing deep within the forests—
Karen leaned lazily against the trunk of a tree, arms folded across her chest. Her slender fingers tapped lightly and rhythmically against her shoulder, a faint smirk lingering on her lips.
The air trembled with a majestic roar. The resplendent white dragon descended gracefully from the night sky, landing upon the earth with an aura that commanded awe.
Karen tilted her chin upward, her eyes flashing with intrigue as she caught sight of Reshiram. "So… when exactly did you manage to capture that?" she mused silently, her expression betraying both surprise and admiration.
Only Lucas would have the audacity—and ability—to bend a legendary to his will.
"Just you?"
Lucas leapt down from Reshiram's back, his cloak flaring slightly in the wind. He cast a glance around the clearing, one brow raised in mild surprise. This was the rally point they had arranged in advance… and yet only Karen had made it here.
"Ah~ looks like the rest were all captured," Karen replied with a shrug, her tone careless, though a flicker of amusement danced in her eyes. "Good thing I ran fast. Otherwise, if Lorelei and Bruno had caught up to me, even I wouldn't have gotten away."
"What about Will?" Lucas asked curiously. "He's supposed to be an Elite specializing in Psychic-types. As long as he managed to slip out of the commercial district, with the kind of psychic power his team carries, escaping shouldn't have been difficult."
"That unlucky fool ran straight into Bruno again," Karen said with a helpless chuckle. "I wanted to help him, but facing two Elites at once? Not even I can manage that. If I'd stayed longer, I would have been dragged down with him."
Her tone was light, almost mocking, but deep in her eyes burned the flame of a grudge. She would remember this. Both Lorelei and Bruno—one day, she would make them pay.
"So, this time… we were basically wiped out." Lucas rubbed his chin, calculating. Four Rocket executives had been stationed in Celadon's base. In the end, only one—Karen—had managed to escape. The others… gone.
"As for the grunts, it hardly matters," he muttered. "But losing three senior executives in one stroke… that is no small blow."
He pulled out his phone, preparing to contact Giovanni. A little stirring of the pot would certainly be useful.
"The Indigo League really is strong," Karen remarked as she smoothed her hair with one hand and checked her reflection in a small makeup mirror from her bag. Her voice dripped with irritation. "But honestly, they've become far too arrogant. Lucas, when do you think Giovanni will strike back?"
Since joining Team Rocket, she had come to understand just how deep the conflict with the League ran. This wasn't a feud that could be solved with words. Already, she had clashed with the Elite Four twice. Will, poor as he was, had now been captured twice by the League.
Being beaten down again and again was not her style. She wanted vengeance.
"Who knows," Lucas answered, his gaze narrowing, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Though… I do have one very interesting idea."
Before he could explain, the call connected.
"Lucas, what's the situation?" Giovanni's voice, low and magnetic, came through the speaker.
Lucas bowed his head slightly. "It's over here. Archer, Athena, and Will have likely all been captured. Only Karen managed to retreat successfully."
"I see," Giovanni's tone was grim. Though he had not personally come to Celadon, he had been watching closely. By morning he had already learned that not just Lance and Lorelei, but Bruno as well, had secretly entered the city.
Clearly, the League had prepared for this very moment, determined to wipe out the base completely.
"Boss, things can't continue like this," Karen interjected, her voice sharp. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, eyes flashing with disdain. "At the pace the League is moving, every base they find will be destroyed without mercy. The damage is piling up far too quickly."
Since the S.S. Anne incident, the League had pursued Team Rocket like rabid hounds. The organization had become like rats in the sewers—forced into the shadows, and every time they surfaced, they were struck down.
Giovanni's eyes narrowed. "And what do you suggest?"
Originally, he had intended to bide his time, to wait until Mewtwo's power matured. But the recent losses had been severe. Four or five bases destroyed in a short time—Celadon's massive base among them, even its money-making Game Corner reduced to rubble. The damage was no longer negligible.
"A direct counterattack on the League isn't realistic right now," Lucas replied after a moment's thought. "It would only provoke them further. The League already despises us. Escalating now would only make them more relentless."
He paused—then smiled faintly, his teeth glinting white in the night.
"But… there are other ways. Ways we can replenish what we've lost."
"Oh?" Giovanni's brow arched. He sipped calmly at a cup of coffee, but his deep eyes glittered with interest. "And how do you propose we do that?"
Truthfully, most of the recent damage had been financial. The rank-and-file Rocket grunts were expendable, but losing three senior executives at once—that was serious. Each time he had to bribe officials and smooth things over, it cost a fortune. Add to that the destruction of several bases, and now the loss of Celadon's Game Corner—the financial bleed was immense.
Lucas's smile sharpened. "Boss, I've heard whispers that the Silph Company is developing a new kind of Poké Ball. They're calling it the Master Ball. Rumor has it, its capture rate is high enough to subdue even legendary Pokémon."
"Silph Co…"
At those words, Giovanni's eyes narrowed dangerously. Of course he understood Lucas's implication.
Headquartered in Saffron City, Silph Co. was one of the largest corporations in the world, famed for its innovations. Its greatest business was, of course, Poké Balls—the indispensable tools of trainers everywhere. Silph Co. had created them, refined them, and monopolized their production. Their influence was unimaginable.
With trainers, breeders, and coordinators across the globe all relying on Poké Balls, Silph Co.'s profits were endless. Add in their other ventures—shipping, technology, even energy—and they stood as one of the world's titans.
"Lucas… swallowing Silph Co. won't be so simple," Giovanni said, his voice low and thoughtful. His mind raced with calculations. To say he wasn't tempted would be a lie—the wealth and resources of Silph were astronomical. But striking them would mean stepping on the toes of countless powerful factions.
Lucas chuckled softly, eyes glinting with a predator's confidence. "It's risky, yes. But the reward is far greater. If we move quickly, carefully, with precision, no one will even realize what happened until it's too late. At the end of the day, it's just a corporation. And success is far from impossible."
He leaned forward, his voice a silky whisper. "And once we control Silph Co., our financial lifeline will be limitless."
He licked his lips unconsciously, like a wolf savoring the scent of blood.
The truth was clear: Silph Co. might be influential, but its strength in battle was pitiful. Corporations thrived on business and politics, not warfare. Even if they employed security trainers, against true elites they were nothing but paper shields.
After all, this world was—at its heart—meant to be harmonious. In the original story, Team Rocket had taken Silph Co. almost without resistance. The League hadn't even noticed until it was too late.
Finally, Giovanni spoke, his tone slow and deliberate. "I'll think about it."
He could not deny the temptation. The risks were great, yes. But the rewards… the rewards were nearly infinite.
(End of Chapter)